Apps for Earth Day

Let's start this AppList by reveling Earth's beauty. To do that, let's give NASA’s Earth As Art. The app presents images of the Earth taken by NASA’s satellites, but frames them so that they look like works of art that belong in a museum. Earth as Art is also educational, as each photo has accompanying text describing the environment depicted. The app also features several time-lapse photo series, which illustrate environmental changes that resulted from humanity’s actions.

For an example of why conservation and Earth Day are important, look at World Wild Life Fund Together. The app by the prominent animal charity uses the power of the iPad to show the importance of the work being done to protect endangered animals around the world. Information on many different animal species, including threats and conservation efforts, is presented through touches, swipes, gorgeous photography, text, and even video. WWF Together also includes recent news and information about current WWF projects.

When it comes to Mother Earth, what issues concern you the most? Animal welfare? Climate change? Energy efficiency? Use GoodGuide (and your iPhone) to scan products at the store, revealing whether the product is safe, healthy, or green. It also allows you to choose issues that you care about and see whether a product passes or fails that specific criteria.

Make Change, Not Waste is a fantastic app for the iPhone that rewards Whole Foods Market shoppers with coupons for their green living choices. Choices like using a reusable bag, recycling, and biking will earn you rewards and badges. After completing ten green living choices, you can unlock a coupon or donate a percentage of the coupon value to the Whole Planet Foundation.

If you're looking for an app that will help you introduce children to the importance of keeping our planet clean, Earth Day Carol is your best bet. The interactive ebook turns Charles Dickens' famous story “A Christmas Carol” into a lesson on the environment and conservation. Instead of miserly Scrooge, the protagonist is a plastic bottle who is visited by the ghosts of Plastic Past, Plastic Present, and Plastic Future. The book is packed with animations, the illustrations are engaging, and it is ideal for instilling the motto, "Reduce, reuse, and recycle," into the younger generation. One thing to note: those with young and/or sensitive children may want to peruse the app before handing it to a child, as it isn’t subtle with its message.

A major concern when it comes to our planet is water conservation. What better way to raise awareness than to show you visualization of how much water is used to produce certain goods? Virtual Water does just that and brings the popular Water Footprint poster to life.

If the drastic climate changes are where your passion for this planet lies, then you'd be happy to know that there is an app dedicated to that cause. Easily share your climate concerns and actions on Twitter and Facebook with #climate. Join organizations in making a change or start your own personal impact movement.

If you are a heavy social network user, but still delve into the greener life, JouleBug may be for you. Did you do something for Mother Earth's good? Buzz about it in the app so that you can collect points and share with your peers. You can also earn pins, badges, and points to share with your social network.

Let's face it, recycling is one of the easiest ways to help save the planet. It can be as easy as sorting out your trash or reusing items that you would normally chunk. The hardest part is figuring out where to take your recyclable items. Or is it? With iRecycle, you can simply look up what you want to recycle and you can find an address and contact info.

Since we are on the topic of recycling, have you checked out Recyclebank? It's a neat app that rewards you for recycling. Redeem coupons, in-store specials with local retailers, and much more with your iPhone.